Dry Season

The Lion King"Dry Season"

Plot

At the start of the comic, it is revealed that the Pride Lands have been suffering from a major drought. As Mufasa and Simba survey a dry riverbed, Mufasa comments gravely to his son that it's worse than he'd first thought. He goes on to say that if rain did not come soon, the pride would have to move to a different land.

Not long after this, Rafiki talks to Simba and Nala about the drought. He explains that nature rules the fate of the Pride Lands and that a loss of rain can cause many problems, just the way a little rock can create a giant rock slide. Simba is impressed by the lesson, but refuses to believe that nature is to blame for the drought.

In hopes of finding a solution to the drought, Simba follows the dry riverbed for hours. But as the river cuts a path through a steep gorge, Simba begins to feel frightened and realizes that he's never been this far from home. As he turns to leave, he suddenly hears a strange noise and creeps forward to investigate.

As he peers around a corner of the gorge, he sees a group of apes stacking logs and rocks in the middle of the ravine. As they continue to work, Simba gets the feeling that they're not very friendly. Sneaking forward to get a better look, he sees that the logs the apes are stacking are being used to keep water from flowing into the dry riverbed. He realizes in an instant that the apes are trying to keep the water from reaching the Pride Lands!

As Simba continues to listen, one of the apes asks their leader, Mortolo, why they are building a dam in the dry riverbed. The ape leader explains to his minions that if they robbed the Pride Lands of water, Mufasa and his pride would be forced to leave. With no lions to overrule them, the apes could take over the barren land and bring back the water for themselves!

Simba is horrified and vows to do something to stop them. As he climbs up the side of the gorge, he suddenly remembers what Rafiki had said about a rockfall. Deciding to give it a try, he sends a small rock bouncing down the side of the ravine. As it falls, it hits other rocks, which in turn hit other rocks, until all of a sudden, an entire rock slide is rolling down the ravine.

As the apes see the rocks falling, they flee from their dam and disappear down the gorge. The rock slide continues and begins to hound the dam from above. Soon, the pile of rocks and sticks can't hold anymore and the dam bursts.

When Simba returns to the Pride Lands, he finds that the river is now full of luscious water. Mufasa greets his son enthusiastically and then proceeds to tell him that water has returned to the Pride Lands and there is no more need for the pride to leave.

Later, Rafiki approaches Simba and exclaims that nature had shown them mercy. If the drought had gone on for one more day, the Pridelanders would've had to leave their home, but nature had handled it. Simba comments slyly that nature had gotten a little help. Leaving Rafiki in a state of confusion, Simba comments to himself that he would've gotten in trouble for going so far from home if he had told the truth.